Pops
by Princess Pinky
Summary: Topanga went to New York with dreams of becoming a lawyer, but when law school meets motherhood, something's gotta give.


**A/N:** Everyone, it's really happening! Disney has picked up _Girl Meets World_ for a full season! Sounds like we have to wait until 2014 first, but still, a confirmed full season! I. Am. SCREAMING! And yes, GMW fanfiction! For anyone afraid of spoilers, this is your warning! This fic is based on GMW plot details, so read on if you dare.

_**Pops**_

"Topanga!"

Topanga Lawrence-Matthews switched off the television at the sound of her husband's voice and wedged what was left of a chocolate-and-banana frozen pudding pop into her mouth.

"Topanga!" Cory Matthews cried again. He pushed through the door and found his one-year-old son seated in the playpen, trying to pull an old pair of underpants onto his teddy bear, while his wife was curled up in her own playpen of pillows on their bed. "Hey," he said, the word worry laden. "I went to pick up Elliott from daycare after my shift and they said you never dropped him off. I've been trying to call you all the way home."

"S-w-ee," Topanga replied, not bothering to taking the pudding pop out of her mouth as she spoke.

Cory's brow creased and he pushed some of the pillows onto the floor to make room for the two of them on the small bed. "You feelin' okay?" He tucked a strand of tussled hair behind his wife's ear. "Hey," he whispered, taking her hand. "Talk to me."

Topanga worked the pudding pop—now two-thirds eaten—out of her mouth, but instead of speaking, she rested her head against Cory's chest.

"Did something happen at school?" he asked. "Evil professor?"

Topanga shook her head.

"I don't understand," Cory whispered into her hair. He continued to run his fingers through it like a comb.

Topanga sniffed and bit off half of the remaining chunk of her pudding pop. "I can't do this," she finally admitted.

"Do what?"

"_This!"_ Topanga gestured around their small dorm room. Clothes—adult and toddler—mingled with toys and even a few ill placed dirty dishes. A computer desk stuffed into the corner of the room was covered in lined notebook paper, smeared top to bottom in Topanga's neat handwriting. "Going to law school and being a mother at the same time. I thought I could, but I can't. I'm not Wonder Woman, Cory. I can't do it all."

"We've been making it work this long," Cory argued.

Topanga shook her head. The light from the dresser lamp reflected the glassy pools ready to overflow in her eyes. She licked what remained of her pudding pop again. "You have no idea how demanding law school is, Cory."

"But it's your dream."

"I know…and then we found out Elliott was coming almost as soon as we got settled in. Something's got to give and obviously we can't give him back to the stork…" She turned her head to stare at her son, who had decided to give his teddy bear a lesson in Wedgie 101. "So I have to give up law school. At least for now."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Cory asked. "Is that why you didn't go to class today? Maybe you should give yourself more than a single day to make this kind of decision? You've been in a moo—" he screwed up his lips at her daggers look and quickly amended "—messy dorm all week and not feeling very good on top of it, maybe you just need more time?"

Topanga drew her pudding pop across Cory's lips and made a zipping noise. "I've thought about it," she said decisively. "All week. This is my decision. I'm sorry."

Cory licked his lips and nodded. "Okay," he said. "If that's how you feel, then _okay_."

Topanga smiled and kissed her husband. "Thank you."

Cory licked his lips again and eyed the last of the pudding pop as it slid into Topanga's mouth. "Is that a frozen pudding pop?"

Topanga sucked the last remnants of the frozen treat off the stick and tossed it into the trashcan beside her bed, where it landed on several white plastic wrappers and previously trashed wooden sticks. "No."

Cory leaned over his wife to stare into the trash.

"Maybe," Topanga squeaked.

"You don't even like frozen pudding pops," Cory frowned. "The only time you ever ate them was when you were—" He stopped, mouth gaping and eyes the size of ripe oranges.

Topanga sheepishly pressed her hand to her flannel pajama covered belly. "Hello, Pops."

Cory shook his head desperately. "But – but – but—we were so careful!"

Topanga motioned her head in the direction of the playpen.

"But that was an accident!" Cory bellowed. He covered his hands with his face. "That can't happen twice in a row!"

"Three boxes of pregnancy tests and my trip to the clinic today says it can."

"What are we gonna dooo?" Cory whined. He fell back onto his pillow and stared forlornly at the ceiling.

Topanga climbed onto her husband and rested her chin on his chest. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "And that terrifies me. But the consolation is that whatever we do, we won't be doing it alone." She threaded her fingers through Cory's and lifted his arm so that he could see their entwined hands.

Cory traced Topanga's lips with his finger. "Two kids, under two, in college…what have we gotten ourselves into?"

"I don't know, but the woman at the clinic recommended trying a new birth control after this."

Cory laughed. "We're turning into my parents."

"Shhh!" she hushed. "We don't want to still be having babies in eighteen years!"

"And how are we gonna pay for this?" Cory continued, seemingly oblivious to his wife's admonishment. "I'm taking classes half the time, working the other half, and we're up to our nose hairs in student loans!"

Topanga shook her head as she crawled off Cory's chest.

"Where are you going?"

"To get another pudding pop."

Cory snorted. "Maybe you could open a pudding store!" he sarcastically hollered as she left the room.

From the playpen, Elliott shrieked in delight and his underwear-wearing-teddy came flying out over the side. "Undapants!"

Cory groaned again, this time he grabbed Topanga's pillow and smothered it to his face.


End file.
